5 Takeaways From Packers 29 - 31 Vikings: Jayden Reed Continues to Shine
Jayden Reed is separating himself as Green Bay's top pass catcher.
By markoldacres
The Packers and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad first half
It is no exaggeration to say the first half of Sunday’s was the worst Green Bay has played in the Matt LaFleur era. It was utterly abject and embarrassing on both sides of the ball.
Jordan Love was clearly rusty upon returning from his knee injury, and he too often asked his receivers to pluck the ball off the Lambeau Field grass, and this set the tone for Green Bay’s poor first two quarters
But everything the Packers did well in the previous two games to rally around backup QB Malik Willis; receivers making plays, the defense holding up their end of the bargain, went completely out of the window.
A lack of execution and composure plagued the Packers in the first half, as the team once again committed a laundry list of untimely penalties, including a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct flag thrown on LaFleur, a bizarre situation caused by the officials failing to notice him asking for a timeout.
Regardless of how Green Bay responded in the second half, a performance like the one the entire team put on tape in the first half, in a massive divisional matchup at home, simply cannot ever happen.
Jordan Love toughs it out
Approaching half time, it was fair to question why the Packers would even bother allowing Love to continue playing and putting himself at risk of injury in a game which was essentially over, but the team was vindicated in keeping their QB1 in.
Love gradually played better and better throughout the game, and fought like hell to overturn the massive deficit. Unfortunately, he made one critical error after managing to pull Green Bay back within two scores, heaving a deep ball which was intercepted and effectively ending the game.
This evoked memories of his ill-advised pass on the final drive versus the 49ers back in January, which brought the Packers’ season to an end. In both situations, there was still enough time on the clock that the pass did not need to be forced.
After arriving for the game wearing a Brett Favre jersey, a tribute to the former Packers quarterback who recently announced he has Parkinson’s Disease, Love ended the game with a stat line fitting of Favre: 32 of 54 passing with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Despite the heroic comeback attempt coming up short, he will have benefitted from getting back into the flow of a real game, taking hits and getting back up again. Expect him to look more fluid and consistent against the Rams next week.
Defense steps up in the second half
Jeff Hafley’s unit was put in disadvantageous situations at times in the first half, and had Isaiah McDuffie not dropped an interception on Minnesota’s first drive, the entire game could have been different.
But on the whole, the defense was well below par in the first half, offering very little pass rush or resistance towards the Vikings offense of any kind.
That changed in the second half, as the Packers defense allowed just three points and forced two turnovers, including Xavier McKinney’s fourth interception in as many games, helping to keep hopes of a comeback alive right until the end of the game.
It was always going to be a tough task to slow down Minnesota’s potent attack, especially with Jaire Alexander sidelined through injury and Devonte Wyatt also going down during the game. But Hafley can be proud of how his group competed in the second half.
Jayden Reed continues to shine
There is no doubt about it, Jayden Reed has made the ‘second-year leap’.
After leading the team in receiving as a rookie, the former Michigan State wideout is now up to 427 total offensive yards and three touchdowns through four games of his sophomore campaign.
Reed had his best receiving game of the young season on Sunday, tallying 139 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. For a smaller receiver, Reed plays big, fighting through contact to haul in a score which finally got Green Bay on the board.
There might still be questions over who is the Packers’ ‘WR1’, whatever that means, but it sure seems like Reed is simply their best receiver.
The Packers will be okay
There were times during the first half of Sunday’s game where it became fair to question the professionalism of the operation LaFleur was running, but in the second half, his team showed what they are made of.
They never folded and kept fighting until the clock hit triple zeroes. Despite making endless mistakes throughout the game, they put up 465 yards of offense against arguably the best defense in the league to this point.
Much like the Eagles game in week one, this loss was mostly self-inflicted, and should not leave Packers fans worried about their team, rather excited about what this young group can do once they stop shooting themselves in the foot.
A 2-2 record after enduring the challenges Green Bay has in the first month is nothing to be ashamed of, and this team figures to improve as the season goes on.
They will almost certainly be a playoff team and be a match for anyone in the postseason, everything before that is just jostling for position.
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Mark Oldacres is a sports writer from Birmingham, England and a Green Bay Packers fan. You can follow him on twitter at @MarkOldacres
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Comments (23)
splitpea1
September 30, 2024 at 11:30 am
I will worry until the Packers prove they can neutralize the better offenses in the league. Also it's a bit early to proclaim that we're almost certainly a playoff team with over three quarters of the regular season left.
I worry about Rashan Gary. Since the beginning of December 2023, he's produced 1.5 sacks and 10 QB hits--that's a stretch of 12 games, including playoffs. No one needs to be reminded he's being paid elite money (the eighth highest among edge rushers), but obviously the results are nowhere in the realm of elite. So I would think Gary, along with Van Ness, should become the pet projects of the coaching staff because they need to contribute a lot more if this defense is to be successful.
KenEllis
September 30, 2024 at 12:05 pm
What has anyone seen from the Packer Defense or kicking game that would lead anyone to believe this team will do anything other than fall short of a Super Bowl for the 14th consecutive season.
Beat up bad teams like Indy & Tenn. sure, but against decent competition, it is the same old song.
Joster11
September 30, 2024 at 12:07 pm
I agree with your concerns about Gary. Through four games, the $24 million/year man has 9 total tackles and 1 sack. That's not a lot of bang for the Packers' bucks. I thought this new defensive scheme was supposed to really showcase his talents. What is the root of the problem--scheme or player?
Major Snafu
September 30, 2024 at 06:05 pm
Pea, I was deathly against drafting Gary. I watched him at Mich and he was a dud. Always seemed to be to knicked up to play in the big games with top o line men.
Like he was avoiding being shown up.
Matter of fact he did get hurt and refused to play even though the doctors cleared him. He said it was his body and he would decide when he was ready. At the time Bosa quit football to concentrate on the draft and Gary was kind of thinking about it too and was biding time. When your willing to quit on your team for me me me me, thats says a lot.
Gutt fd up and took him. Gutt said he picked Gary in Febrary before the combine because he can play two positions. Hated Gutt too ever since, he is a moron
Packerpasty
October 01, 2024 at 12:36 pm
Gary isn't doing much so far and either is LVN...for where he was drafted he should be on a roll by now...he flys around and sometimes gets lucky but he's got a long way to go, not sure he'll ever get there...
Savage57
September 30, 2024 at 11:38 am
Being one missed FGA from winning after the shit show this team displayed for the first 30 minutes tells me they're in better shape than people think.
Coldworld
September 30, 2024 at 12:38 pm
I think it shows that our coaches aren’t as good as many think and that the team is better than they make it. We lost that game tactically and through mindset more than through lack of talent. Like early last year, we dug a hole so deep due to penalties but mostly errors and inept tactics. By the time that was corrected, the hole was so deep getting close is actually relatively impressive .
Major Snafu
September 30, 2024 at 06:08 pm
This game wasnt that close. The Vikes were just killing time. they fooled with the Packers by not throwing to Jefferson until they needed a big one and thats when they did the slant route knowing Nixon had to cover him, no contest.
The Vikes would have won even with the two field goals. Its not like the packers could stop the passing game they cant.
kozmo
September 30, 2024 at 12:02 pm
we had 7 minutes left in the game, plenty of time and Love decides its time to throw uo a rocket ball, a pop fly.....seems he would have learned after the horrible decision in San Fran last season, Jordan the ball is life., You can throw the ball away and live to fight another day....samr ting with Kraft. GET OUT OF BOUNDS....understand the game situation. Terrible
[email protected]
September 30, 2024 at 01:52 pm
I think Love should of sat out yesterday's game.. He was obviously not ready... What they should of done was start with Malik. Then later in the game put Love in
Major Snafu
September 30, 2024 at 06:09 pm
What could go wrong dropping back and picking on a guy who is a hof safety.
Love is a doofus. Trust me most packer fans will know who he really is by the end of the season
LLCHESTY
September 30, 2024 at 09:43 pm
Harrison Smith is a HOFer??🤣🤣🤣 I know you're a Viking fan but c'mon man.
Leatherhead
September 30, 2024 at 12:24 pm
Packers will be OK. Reed is a really good guy to have in this offense, he's absolutely a guy who has to be covered closely or he'll get loose.
I'm not really inclined to say anything nice about the defense right now, after we just lost our second game in four outings even though we scored 29 points, which should be enough to win. But, in an attempt at fairness, I have to point out that after the 3 first drives, the Packers held the Vikings in check for the rest of t he game. The TD was after a turnover on our goal line, and the only other score was the FG. Most of the Viking drives after the first quarter were short and unfruitful, as the defense kept getting off the field.
There's a lot of talent on that defense, and nobody should be able to come into Lambeau and drive it down the field 3 times in a row like that. It's enough to make me want to yell "What the Hell is going on out there?" Upon review, it looks like our secondary, minus Alexander and Valentine, wasn't a good match against Jefferson and Addison AND we couldn't get enough pressure on Darnold.
Last season, we had a home game in Week 4 against Detroit. We didn't play very well and got handled, and the 34 points they scored was one of our two worst showings (Tampa) I can only hope for a similar rebound.
After 4 games, the defense is 20th in scoring defense. We're first in interceptions and 28th in TD passes. We're 25th in first downs. We're 24th in the drive success % ranking. I would interpret this as we're a below average defense that gets takeaways. We've surrendered 89 points in four games. Twice, our opponent has gone over 30 (both times helped by turnovers). At this rate, we'll surrender around 375 points, which would be more than last year.
LLCHESTY
September 30, 2024 at 09:45 pm
You do realize that takeaways often lead to points for the offense right?
Lphill
September 30, 2024 at 12:25 pm
maybe move Gary inside on some downs with Smith and Van Ness on the ends , one thing for sure is that Cooper needs to be starting .
Packerpasty
October 01, 2024 at 12:39 pm
did smith and van ness even play..
Bearmeat
September 30, 2024 at 12:41 pm
The secondary was down CB 1 and 2... against a top WR duo in the league. The front 7 is what is concerning. Even with the muddle rushes of week 1 and 2, we are not getting enough from Gary, Clark or Smith. That's a problem. Also. Kicker is a problem.
The offense will be fine. In fact, I think the team will be fine. Congrats to the Vikings yesterday. They were a better team. But I have full faith we'll be fine and will flip the tables on them in December.
Since'61
September 30, 2024 at 12:43 pm
I agree that Reed is the key receiver for the Packers at this point. However, once again we see a loss during which the Packers are poor at situational football. Love throwing a deep shot with 7 minutes left to play when a first down would suffice. Kraft failing to get out of bounds and fumbling the ball away. MLF getting flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The HC! WTF!!! is he thinking. Too many penalties some of them coming at critical moments during drives and in the game.
All correctable mistakes which occurred several seasons before we had the youngest team in the league. 'When does it end? The Packers continue to defeat thesmelves with poor situational football. Gute has compounded the problems with his failure to sign a legitimate NFL kicker. Yes, he has drafted some diamonds in the rough but the lack of a consistent kicking game undermines his other team building efforts.
At this point the Packers need to regroup, find a kicker and finally clean up their flawed situational football play. GPG! Thanks, Since '61
Johnkrash
September 30, 2024 at 12:43 pm
Still far too many costly penaties. You can not expect to become a great team with an unreliable place kicker and a propensity for shooting yourself in the foot with undisciplined mistakes no matter how much talent you have on your roster. The season is still young but if these things are not addressed quickly this team will never become all it could be.
MadJam
September 30, 2024 at 02:28 pm
Alright, strap in, folks—let's break down the Packers' performance, or as I like to call it, "The Great Green Bay Implosion, Part One." The first half of Sunday’s game? Man, it was an absolute disaster—like watching a circus, but all the clowns are on fire, and nobody's laughing. They were so bad they might as well have just stayed in the locker room and taken up knitting.
Jordan Love comes back from injury, and he’s throwing passes like he's aiming at the dirt for fun. The offense forgot how to football, the defense forgot how to defend, and penalties? Oh, the penalties. Even LaFleur gets flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, because apparently, even the coach can’t keep it together. Yeah, great job out there, Matt—when the refs are throwing flags at *you*, you know it’s one of those days.
And then there’s Love, toughing it out in a game that looked over before halftime. He starts finding his rhythm, then BAM! There it is—throws a deep ball that gets picked off, like he’s been studying the Brett Favre Playbook of Questionable Decisions. He wore a Favre jersey before the game, and, boy, he must've taken that inspiration a little too far—four touchdowns and three interceptions. That’s like a Favre fever dream right there.
Second half, the defense decides, “Hey, maybe we should actually *play* football.” They tighten up, finally show some fight, but it’s too late. You can’t dig a hole that deep and just walk out like it's no big deal. But hey, credit to Jayden Reed—this kid’s shining like a diamond in a dumpster fire. He’s out there catching everything, fighting for yards, making it all look like it’s supposed to.
And here’s the kicker, folks: the Packers? Yeah, they’ll be alright. They screwed up, sure, but they showed fight. They put up 465 yards on one of the best defenses in the league—when they weren’t tripping over their own shoelaces, that is. If they stop with the self-inflicted nonsense, this team’s got some real potential. 2-2 isn’t pretty, but it ain't a death sentence, either. They'll be in the playoffs, maybe even making some noise. Just gotta get out of their own damn way.
[email protected]
September 30, 2024 at 02:50 pm
I have had this feeling for a long time. The NFL billionaires don't like the idea of a historic small town NFL team and fan owned to boot.. Out classing their clan's big city football teams.. Year in year out...This years first game had the Packers playing on a brazillian soccer stadium field .. And it was to me after seeing Love go down, on the last play off the game.. I could of swore i saw a philadelphia defense player kick Loves leg.. It just turns out after Love signs a huge contract... And with great drafted trained players out classing other teams.. GB having great coaching /scouting staffs, along with gms, since Ron Wolf.. I dont care if we dont win SBs.. frequently... I do enjoy watching players like Bart, Brett Arod. Ajones Jim Taylor Willy Wood and etc
Packerpasty
October 01, 2024 at 12:39 pm
weren't the Eagles considered a. big city team? They played on the same surface...it did suck though...they use the Packers for games like that because they are so popular world wide..
SinceLombardi
October 01, 2024 at 02:37 pm
Yes they need to stop shooting themselves in the foot.. but at the same time the division has improved. I will never believe this defense is a top five unit.
The object is to play at home in the playoffs ( if you make them) and they already have two NFC losses. I would not count on sweeping Chicago again and Detroit will be very tough as our D line is not good enough right now, or probably against any quality o line like the Lions.
Plenty to worry about. 9 and 8 isn’t going to cut it this year.
We need a lot of improvement in several areas not the least of which is quarterback play, defense, special teams ( kicking) and penalties.
As Holmgren always said.. our first priority is to win the division.
We have lost 3 straight to NFC teams. I don’t want to see a nail biter against a comprised Rams team.